


to be a princess

by WattStalf



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Family, Femslash Big Bang Monthly Challenge, Love Confessions, Sibling Rivalry, Some other ships implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 08:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10827975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WattStalf/pseuds/WattStalf
Summary: Severa never asked for the life she has, but she has to make do.





	to be a princess

**Author's Note:**

> As we all know, I ship Chrom and Cordelia pretty shamelessly, but as I tried to imagine Severa in that life, it became pretty obvious that she would have an even harder time than just being Cordelia's daughter. So I wanted to write about that, but I also didn't want to just write plotless angst. I decided to throw in some happiness for her, which meant that it fit this month's femslash prompt pretty perfectly.  
> Some vaguely implied ships are Frederick x Lissa and Virion x Tharja, and Severa assuming that Laurent, Gerome, and Yarne have crushes on Lucina

Severa never asked to be a princess. She never asked to be the second daughter of the Exalt, and whenever she hears someone say how lucky royalty are, or how they wish  _ they _ could be a princess, or a prince, she wants to clock them. Nobody outside of her family really understands what it’s like to be her, and as far as she can tell, even those in her family don’t get it.

It isn’t enough that she’s Chrom’s daughter; her mother just  _ has _ to be Cordelia, the genius pegasus knight rumored to be perfect, and to make matters worse, her older sister...well, there aren’t even words for her to describe Lucina. In order to fully explain her family situation, she has to start with her father and work her way through everyone, one by one.

Chrom had a large burden on his shoulders, taking up after the legacy of his older sister, or so she’s always been told. Still, he took up the role as best as he could, and he was a strong fighter and respected by all who knew them. He’s a wonderful man,  as anyone would tell her, and it’s a lot to live up to, being his daughter.

And then there is his wife, the brilliant Cordelia who works hard at everything and excels at everything. She is as beautiful as she is talented, and everyone has heard the story of the way she admired Chrom from afar for so long. Apparently, she never thought she would ever catch his eye, only to find out that he had been admiring her all along. She still seems to worship the ground he walks on, or so it seems to Severa.

Lucina is the spitting image of their father, right down to the blue hair, and she is the one meant to follow in his footsteps. She is as formidable with a blade as he is, and there isn’t anyone who thinks that she won’t be a wonderful Exalt, when her time comes. Between the three of them, there is too much for Severa to live up to, and she never, ever asked to be a princess, especially not in this family.

Severa looks more like her mother than her father, with the same bright red hair, and if she didn’t spend most of her time scowling, they’d have the same smile as well. Because Lucina resembles their father so much, and Severa resembles her mother so much, people expect them to be carbon copies. Lucina doesn’t let people down like Severa does, and Severa isn’t anything like her mother.

When she was still young, she took up a sword as well, tagging along behind her sister because she didn’t know any better. Perhaps she once had some delusion that she would be able to wield Falchion as well, or maybe she just wanted to feel more like her big sister. Whatever the case, she never even considered following in her mother’s footsteps, and as she grows, and as people begin to compare them more and more, she’s glad about that. No matter what, she’s never going to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

Her bitterness is not just because they’re constantly compared. She’s always had to hear how perfect her mother is, yes, but she’s also always had to hear how “devoted” she is to Chrom, and how she’s always been “madly in love with him”, and how their marriage was “just like something out of a fairytale.” It’s not something she ever admits to anyone, but she’s jealous, always wondering if her mother loves her father more than her, and later, wondering if she loves Lucina more as well, since she’s so much less of a disappointment.

Neither of her parents have ever called her a disappointment, but she isn’t stupid. She’s heard the whispers of others, and rumors have reached her ears; she knows that she’s referred to as “Lady Cordelia’s defective daughter,” or that some call her the “less impressive princess.” No matter how strong she becomes, she isn’t anything like Cordelia, and she isn’t anything like Lucina, and she will never be anything like Chrom.

Their other friends- the children of their parents’ friends- clearly like Lucina more than her, even if none of them have ever admitted to it. Severa doesn’t mean to be nasty, but she is, pushing people away whenever they try to get close to her. She doesn’t want to be like her mother, and she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone, doesn’t want them to get close enough to see that she isn’t as good as the rest of her family.

Lucina is clueless, and doesn’t see how popular she is with the boys. It isn’t that Severa  _ wants _ to be popular with boys; when she imagines being involved with any of their male friends, it all seems laughable. But Lucina doesn’t see the way she has Gerome, or Laurent, or Yarne wrapped around her finger, and since Inigo has eyes for every woman in existence, he vies for her affection as well. Of course, he’s tried for Severa from time to time, but she hardly counts him as a potential prospect.

The only other boys she knows are Owain, her cousin, and Brady, but like she always insists, she doesn’t care about any of the boys noticing her. It would just be nice not to have Lucina be better than her at absolutely  _ everything _ , is all. And the girls aren’t much better, and tend to keep their distance from her when they can manage it. Cynthia and Kjelle are both so damn hard to get along with, and Severa tells herself that it’s hardly her fault that they can’t converse without arguing, and Nah has never been particularly close to her  _ or _ Lucina.

But then there is Noire, who has clung to Severa since childhood. The girl is peculiar; timid and afraid one moment, and bold and rage-fueled the next. She blames the mood swings on a talisman made for her by her equally eccentric mother, one that is supposed to help her have more courage. Severa doesn’t want to like her, because she’s strange and she’s cowardly, and the way she needs Severa’s help with things can be downright annoying, but, try as she might, she can’t seem to shake her friend, and she knows she isn’t trying as hard as she could be. It’s nice to have a friend who doesn’t compare her to her sister, is all.

“She’s better than me at everything,” Severa says one day, without any prompting. She, Lucina, and Owain had been training together earlier, and Frederick had praised Lucina just as much as always, but could only find fault with Severa and his son. Just like always.

“Huh?” Noire asks. “Do you mean your sister?” It isn’t the first time she’s had to listen to this before.

“Who else? You’d think the girl could do no wrong! The only person more annoying than her is our mother!” she exclaims. “Well, dad can be a pain too, but I  _ expect _ people to gush about him.”

“It must be really hard…” her friend murmurs sympathetically. Something that Severa likes about her is that she’s never once said she wished she could have been born a princess, and she’s never accused Severa of complaining too much and  having it easy.

“It is! I’m so sick and tired of being the family disappointment!”

“I...I don’t think you’re a disappointment. I mean to them, o-of course you’re not a disappointment to me!” Noire is always so quick to remind Severa how highly she thinks of her. Her neediness can be very annoying at times, but Severa imagines that Noire must see her as some sort of hero, and that really makes it all worth it. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that Noire is one of the only people who has never once made her feel bad about herself.

“Yeah right! I might as well not be in the same family as all of them! I’m not perfect or a genius or a good princess, and I’ll never live up to my parents’ example, especially not like Lucina does!”

“Well, you don’t...you don’t have to be like them, you know? If you do good at what you want to do…find your own thing...wouldn’t that be better?”

“I’m sure there’s nothing out there that my mom wouldn’t be able to beat me at,” she sighs. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

Noire looks down, frowning, likely trying to think of something else to cheer her friend up, but she has nothing. In the past, she's talked about how she doesn't compare to her own mother at all, but Severa always points out that she's surpassed her father where archery is concerned. And, of course, Noire is an only child.

“And doesn't it annoy you, the way guys are always gawking at Lucina?” Severa asks.

“I-I wouldn't say they  _ gawk _ …”

“You know what I mean! Imagine you have your eye on someone, but they're just one of many obsessed with  _ her _ .”

“Do you...do you have your eye on one of them?” Does Noire look sad, or is she just imagining it?

“No way! I couldn't care less about those guys! Why? Do you?”

“N-no, I…” She looks off in another direction, and her voice is barely audible as she says, “I don't really like...guys...th-that way.”

“Oh,” says Severa, as the implication dawns on her. “Oh.” She clenches one hand into a fist, suddenly, overwhelmingly even more jealous of Lucina, even though she's been given no reason to be.

“I'm sorry,” Noire apologizes, likely misinterpreting the look on her friend’s face.

“You better not have a crush on my sister!” she snaps. “That's  _ just _ what I need, you know?”

“What? But I don't…”

“Really? You don't think she's  _ so _ pretty and  _ so _ talented and probably the  _ perfect _ girlfriend?”

“No!”

“Hmph.” Why is she acting like this? It's not like Noire has given her any reason to be upset, but she can't help herself.

“Please don't be mad at me, Severa. The...the only person I think all those things about is...is you.” Noire isn't looking away now, even though terror is plain in her eyes, and she keeps looking at Severa to convey how serious she is. “I've always liked you. Remember? You were always my hero…”

Noire’s words hit her hard. Always, she's acted like her closest friend is a nuisance even though the way she needs her, the way she treats her like someone important, is all Severa has ever wanted. She never  _ wanted _ to like Noire, but how could she help herself when being around her made her happy? Severa has always been the one looking out for the other girl, but she's never stopped to think about just how much  _ she _ needs Noire.

“You...like me?”

“I'm sorry!” she cries. “I made everything weird, didn't I? You must hate me now, don't you?”

“No!” exclaims Severa. “I-I mean, how could I hate you? You're my best friend, and I have to look out for you, right?”

“B-but now you know I don't just see you as a friend…”

“S-so what?! Lots of couples start out that way, right?”

“Couples?! Do you mean…?”

“I don't know what I mean! But...if I was going to be with someone...I-I’m just saying you wouldn't be so bad!”

Admitting to feelings she's only just uncovered is difficult, but fortunately for her, Noire is patient. Fortunately for her, the timid girl has always been there for her, and always will. All this time, Severa has considered Noire the needy one, but now she sees that it goes both ways. And now she understands just how lucky she is to have someone who needs her, and someone she can always count on.

Her issues with her family might never be resolved, but for now, she feels a bit better about herself, about being just Severa. She never asked to be a princess and she never asked to be the faulty part of a perfect family, but she is, and she resolves to try to take Noire’s advice, and find her way by being herself.


End file.
